Elite opinion and foreign policy in post-communist Russia

Russian elite opinion on matters of foreign policy may be classified as ‘Liberal Westerniser’, ‘Pragmatic Nationalist’ and ‘Fundamentalist Nationalist’, terms that reflect longstanding debates about the country’s relationship with the outside world. An analysis of press statements and election manifestoes together with a programme of elite interviews between 2004 and 2006 suggests a clustering of opinion on a series of strategic issues. Liberal Westernisers seek the closest possible relationship with Europe, and favour eventual membership of the EU and NATO. Pragmatic Nationalists are more inclined to favour practical co-operation, and do not assume an identity of values or interests with the Western countries. Fundamentalist Nationalists place more emphasis on the other former Soviet republics, and on Asia as much as Europe, and see the West as a threat to Russian values as well as to its state interests. Each of these positions, in turn, draws on an identifiable set of domestic constituencies: Liberal Westernisers on the promarket political parties, Pragmatic Nationalists on the presidential administration and defence and security ministries, and Fundamentalist Nationalists on the Orthodox Church and Communists

Competing ideologies of Russia's civil society

Many analysts and public opinion makers in the West conflate the notions of Russia’s non-systemic liberal opposition and the country’s civil society. Indeed, despite garnering the support of a minority of Russia’s population, non-systemic liberal opposition represents a well-organized civic group with a clearly articulated agenda and the ability to take action. Yet, does Russia’s civil society end there? A closer look at the country’s politics shows that Russia has a substantial conservative-traditionalist faction that has also developed agenda for action and formulated opinions. This group is anti-liberal rather than illiberal ideologically and pro-strong state/pro a geopolitically independent Russia rather than pro-Kremlin politically. The interaction between liberal and conservative civic groups represents the battle of meanings, ideas, and ethics, and ultimately determines the future trajectory of Russia’s evolution. Thus, the analysis of Russia’s civil society must represent a rather more nuanced picture than a mere study of the liberal non-systemic opposition. This article will examine the complexity of Russia’s civil society scene with reference to the interplay between the liberal opposition and conservative majority factions. The paper will argue that such complexity stems from ideological value pluralism that falls far beyond the boundaries of the liberal consensus, often skewing our understanding of political practice in Russia

Эффективность работы мобильной бригады в комплексной паллиативной помощи пациентам с Вич-инфекцией

The article presents the experience of the mobile team as an integral component of palliative care for patients with HIV infection.Objective: To analyze the effectiveness of the mobile team as a key component of palliative care for patients with advanced stages of  HIV infection and comorbid conditions.Materials and methods: In 2018, a joint project of the St. Petersburg AIDS Center and the BF (charity foundation) «Humanitarian Action» created a mobile team to provide  onsite medical and social assistance to patients with HIV  infection. The article presents the results of the project for 2018–2019. We studied the composition of patients, their needs for various types of support, as well as assessing the problems in providing this type of service to patients with HIV infection.  The analysis of the work of the mobile team for 2018–2019. The composition of patients in need of medical and social assistance was studied. Results. In the supervision of the mobile team were 79 patients with HIV. The main tasks of the mobile team were to identify patients with HIV infection who suffered from severe opportunistic diseases, for various reasons they could not come to the doctor’s center for antiretroviral therapy, and also monitor the effectiveness of treatment and psychological support for sedentary and hard-to-reach groups of patients.Conclusion: Given the increase in the number of patients with advanced HIV infection and comorbid conditions, the creation of mobile teams that are part of palliative care is an essential part of comprehensive medical and social care.  В статье представлен опыт работы мобильной бригады в комплексной паллиативной помощи пациентам с ВИЧ-инфекцией.Цель: проанализировать эффективность работы мобильной бригады как ключевого  компонента паллиативной помощи больным с продвинутыми стадиями ВИЧ-инфекции и коморбидными состояниями.Материалы и методы: в 2018 г. совместным проектом Центра по профилактике и борьбе со СПИД и инфекционными заболеваниями (Центр СПИД) и благотворительного фонда «Гуманитарное действие» создана мобильная бригада для оказания выездной медицинской, социальной и психологической помощи больным с ВИЧинфекцией. Основными задачами мобильной бригады были мониторинг течения заболевания, оценка эффективности проводимого лечения, а также выявление показаний для госпитализации в стационар. Кроме того, осуществлялась социальная помощь и психологическая поддержка пациентов и их родственников. Результаты: на курации у специалистов мобильной бригады находились 79 пациентов с ВИЧ-инфекцией, которые по состоянию здоровья не могли самостоятельно прибыть на  обследование в Центр СПИД и получить антиретровирусную терапию. В статье представлены результаты работы проекта за 2018–2019 гг., изучен состав пациентов, их потребности в различных видах помощи, а также оценены проблемы в оказании данного вида услуг пациентам с ВИЧ-инфекцией.Заключение: с учетом роста количества пациентов с поздними стадиями ВИЧ-инфекции и коморбидными состояниями работа мобильных бригад является высокоэффективным звеном  комплексной медицинской, социальной и психологической помощи. Кроме того,создание мобильных бригад может быть результатом успешного взаимодействия Центра СПИД и профильных НКО

"Приладобудування: стан і перспективи", XVIII Міжнародна науково-технічна конференція

The results integrity of pulsed eddy current non-destructive testing (ECNDT) significantly depends on the accuracy of the measurement parameters of the eddy current transducer signals (ECT). Among these parameters are the frequency and damping coefficient of attenuating harmonic oscillations, which arise in the transducer pulse mode operation under certain conditions. The process of evaluating these parameters is accompanied by the occurrence of particular error

Wastewater treatment and disposal of individual residential buildings in agriculture

In the conditions of limited possibilities of traditional regulation of production processes in bioagrocenoses it is necessary to find ways to increase their potential yield due to excessive man-made resources such as sludge from recycled wastewater. Ecological technologies of waste-free production, including the sludge sediment utilization as bio-fertilizer on agricultural fields, are a very promising direction of stabilizing the degradation processes of reducing soil fertility as well as increasing the moisture capacity, which is especially important for arid regions of the world. With the growth of suburban settlements the problem of high-quality wastewater treatment of individual buildings and, accordingly, the ecological well-being of these areas has become so urgent that it requires the development and creation of modern compact bio-cleaning modules, which should provide deep destruction of biogenic elements and possibility of secondary use of man-made resources without restructuring existing septic tanks and periodically exporting wastewater. In particular, it is a possibility to use purified water for irrigation of household plots or other technical needs, and to use sludge as a biofertilizer enriched with macro- and microelements. Ecological technologies of waste-free production, including the utilization of sludge from biological stations on agricultural fields as a bio-fertilizer, are very promising ways of stabilizing the degradation processes of reducing soil fertility in addition to increasing their water-holding capacity. Studies on the impact of various doses of the bio-fertilizer on the water-physical properties and the degree of soil contamination, as well as on the quality and yield of potato tubers cultivated for seed in the arid climate of the Lower Volga region confirmed its high efficiency and environmental friendliness. © 2019 Latvia University of Agriculture. All rights reserved